South African Commando System

The South African Commando System was a territorial security and reserve-force structure that organized local communities, particularly in rural areas, for protection and emergency response. Although it operated within the South African Army and its predecessor organizations, the commandos were frequently used in support of, and under the authority of, the South African Police. Their principal responsibility was local rather than expeditionary: members were generally expected to protect the communities and districts in which they lived and did not normally carry military commitments outside those areas. The system drew on the older Boer commando tradition, which developed from the eighteenth-century practice of assembling locally based civilian fighters when a district faced danger. During the Boer wars, men from a district were organized into mobile units led by locally selected officers. These formations were lightly equipped and relied heavily on local knowledge, horsemanship, marksmanship and decentralized leadership. A commando was usually associated with a town or district, while smaller wards and corporalships provided the basic administrative and mobilization structure. In the twentieth century, the system was incorporated into the Union Defence Force in 1912 and subsequently continued under the South African Defence Force and the South African National Defence Force. During periods when commandos were not formally active, former members could participate in shooting associations or reserve structures. The system was formally reactivated after 1948 and later developed into a nationwide network of local units, groups and provincial commands. At its height, approximately 186 units existed, ranging from company-sized formations to battalion-sized organizations. Published estimates place total membership at roughly 50,000 to 70,000, although the exact figure varied by period and definition. Operationally, the system was based on community protection cells. Farmers and households were grouped into local cells, whose members communicated with one another and with police stations through telephone networks and radio systems, including the Marnet backup network. Cell leaders were selected locally and could request assistance from the relevant commando when an incident required a larger response. This arrangement was intended to provide rapid local warning and reaction in areas where police resources were spread over large distances. Training was provided through the Commando Training School and was generally based on infantry fundamentals, while some larger or more capable units were converted into Citizen Force regiments. The commandos also supported police operations such as roadblocks, patrols, farm visits and observation posts. Supporters argued that their local presence made them valuable in sparsely populated rural areas and that they could reach incidents more quickly than conventional police units. Critics associated parts of the system with apartheid-era institutions, racial exclusion and abuses of power. The government therefore decided to replace the commandos with specialized police structures and other reserve arrangements. President Thabo Mbeki announced the phase-out in February 2003. The closure process continued in stages from 2003 until 2008, when Harrismith Commando became the last unit to disband. Former members were offered several routes: demobilization, service as reservists in the South African Police Service, or transfer to conventional Army Reserve regiments if they met age, medical and training requirements. The system consequently ceased to exist as an operating national structure, although debate about rural security, farm attacks, policing capacity and the legacy of apartheid-era security institutions continued after its closure.

The South African Commando System originated in the locally organized Boer militia tradition. The system is traced to the 1770s, when communities could assemble civilian forces for local defense. In contrast to a conventional standing army, early commandos were district-based and depended on the men, weapons, horses and local knowledge available in the community. Officers were selected through local structures, and units were commonly identified with the towns or districts from which they were drawn. During the First and Second Boer Wars, the commando model became associated with mobile light forces that used dispersed movement, local terrain and marksmanship. A typical organization linked a town-based commando to wards, with field-cornets responsible for mobilization and local administration. Commandants supervised the commandos, while larger formations reported through generals to the republican military leadership. These arrangements combined military, policing and administrative functions, although their practical form varied across time and territory. In 1912, the commando structure was reorganized alongside the Active Citizen Force within the Union Defence Force. Later forms operated under the South African Defence Force and, after 1994, the South African National Defence Force. Former commando members could also participate in shooting associations and reserve arrangements. Commandos were formally reactivated after 1948 and gradually became an extensive network of locally based units. They were primarily intended for area protection and did not normally have the same deployment obligations as conventional Citizen Force regiments. The mature system used a layered organization. Households and farmers were grouped into cells, cells were coordinated by local commandos, several commandos could form a group, and groups were administered under provincial or regional commands. Communication between cells, local leaders and police stations was central to the model. Telephone links were supplemented by radio networks such as Marnet so that communities could maintain contact when ordinary lines failed. Local members were expected to respond immediately to threats while requesting additional support when an incident exceeded the capacity of a cell. Training was provided through a dedicated Commando Training School and generally followed infantry principles, including motorized or mechanized infantry fundamentals where appropriate. Some larger or more developed units were converted into full Citizen Force regiments. These included Regiment Congella, Regiment Hillcrest, Regiment Highveld, Regiment North Natal, Regiment Pretorius, Regiment Skoonspruit, Regiment Springs and Regiment Vanderbijlpark. Conventional Citizen Force units could be deployed beyond their home districts, unlike the typical local-protection role of the commandos. Under the South African Defence Force, units were grouped under regional commands including Western Province, Southern Cape, Eastern Province, Northern Cape, Northwest, Orange Free State, Natal, Witwatersrand, Northern Transvaal, Far North and Eastern Transvaal commands. After Army restructuring under the South African National Defence Force, some groups were amalgamated under General Support Bases. The structure was not completely static, and units could move between groups. The system became increasingly controversial during and after the transition away from apartheid. Critics argued that some units reflected racial and political inequalities inherited from the previous order and cited concerns about racism, abuse of authority and constitutional compatibility. The government concluded that rural security should instead be handled through specialized police structures and other reserve mechanisms. President Thabo Mbeki announced the disbandment on 14 February 2003, with the process intended to run over six years. Defense and security ministers subsequently described the policy as partly motivated by the need to counter racist elements and address constitutional concerns. The closure proceeded in stages beginning in the 2004–05 period and continued through the following years. Members could leave the SANDF, join the South African Police Service as reservists, or seek transfer to conventional Army Reserve regiments subject to age, medical and training requirements. Harrismith Commando, based in the Free State, was disbanded in March 2008 and is generally described as the last unit to close. The legacy of the system remains contested. Agricultural organizations and political opponents of the closure argued that commandos had performed valuable local patrol, roadblock, observation and farm-security functions and that their removal weakened protection across large rural areas. Government supporters emphasized the need to end structures associated with apartheid-era security practices and to place policing under accountable national institutions. The debate has continued in the context of rural crime and farm attacks, but the Commando System itself is defunct.

• 2008

  Final unit closes

  [1]Commando System (South Africa)en.wikipedia.org

  Harrismith Commando in the Free State was disbanded, completing the reported closure process.

• 2003

  Disbandment policy announced

  [1]Commando System (South Africa)en.wikipedia.org

  President Thabo Mbeki announced that the Commando System would be phased out and replaced by specialized police units.

• 1948

  Formal reactivation

  [1]Commando System (South Africa)en.wikipedia.org

  The commandos were formally reactivated after a period in which former members could participate in shooting associations and reserve structures.

• 1912

  Integration into the Union Defence Force

  [1]Commando System (South Africa)en.wikipedia.org

  The commando system was reorganized alongside the Active Citizen Force within the Union Defence Force.

• 1770

  Early Boer commando tradition

  [1]Commando System (South Africa)en.wikipedia.org

  The locally organized civilian defense model that later became associated with South African commandos is traced to the 1770s.

A locally recruited military reserve and community-based rural protection system rather than a commercial brand or product line.

• Community defense

  Area protection system

  The central function of the Commando System was area protection. Local communities were divided into cells and linked to commando units and police stations for warning, communication and emergency response. Members protected themselves and their neighbors immediately while requesting additional support when necessary.

• Military reserve

  Commando reserve units

  These mostly voluntary, part-time units formed the operational backbone of the system. They were locally recruited, trained in infantry fundamentals and generally assigned to the districts in which their members lived. Some larger units were later converted into Citizen Force regiments.

• Emergency communications

  Cell communication network

  Cells used telephone links and radio backup systems, including Marnet, to connect households, elected cell leaders, local commandos and police stations. The communications arrangement was intended to preserve coordination when telephone infrastructure failed or when police resources were distant.

• 2003

  Phase out the Commando SystemStrategy

  Background

  The government argued that the system's apartheid-era associations, reported abuses of power, racial concerns and constitutional issues required a different model for rural security.

  Action taken

  President Thabo Mbeki announced a six-year disbandment process, with specialized police units intended to assume the principal security role.

  Aftermath

  The closure was implemented in stages from 2003 to 2008. Former members could demobilize, join the police reserve or apply to transfer into conventional Army Reserve regiments.

  • Democratic Alliance — The party criticized the decision as potentially disastrous for rural security and opposed the removal of local commando capacity.

  Source

1. 1Commando System (South Africa)en.wikipedia.org